Guest house in Japan under fire for asking Israeli guests about war crimes

Al Jazeera

15-05-2025

A guesthouse in Japan says it is under pressure from local authorities to change a policy asking guests to declare that they have never committed war crimes following complaints by Israel's ambassador.
Israeli Ambassador Gilad Cohen has accused the WIND VILLA guest house in Kyoto of discrimination following an incident in April in which an Israeli tourist was asked to sign a pledge stating he had never 'been involved in any war crimes that violate humanitarian and international law'.
In a post on X over the weekend, Cohen described the request as a 'blatant act of discrimination against Israeli citizens and an unacceptable attempt to equate them with war criminals'.
'I call on the Kyoto City authorities to address this case swiftly,' Cohen said.
'We trust that the Japanese authorities will continue to uphold the values of hospitality and respect that Japan is so well known for – and ensure all visitors feel welcome and safe.'WIND VILLA owner Ace Kishi said in an interview that he has no plans to change the policy following an investigation by Kyoto city authorities and a rebuke from the Israeli envoy.
Kishi said he began asking guests to sign the pledge about six months ago in response to world events.
'I was really concerned about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Israeli attacks on Gaza,' Kishi told Al Jazeera.
'I just wanted to take some measures for our safety, and for guest safety, as well, and to express our disagreement with war crimes and international violations.'
Kishi said only four people have signed the pledge so far – three Israelis and one Russian.
The Israeli tourist in April was the first to take issue with the request, he said, although some guests were surprised by the document.
'Mostly, they have had no objection, they just looked a little confused,' Kishi said.
'The last one was quite confused and upset. But eventually he signed and said he hadn't committed any war crimes.'
In an account of his interaction with the Israeli tourist posted on X last month, Kishi described the man as an otherwise pleasant guest and admitted to feeling a 'little sorry for him'.
'The pledge thing made us pretty awkward, but he still greeted me every time we met,' Kishi wrote.
'He even held the door open for me while I was carrying my luggage. But he believed that what Israel was doing was absolutely right and thought that I was brainwashed for criticising it.'The Israeli tourist, who has not been named, shared a similar version of events with an Israeli news outlet following his trip to Kyoto – although the Israeli report suggested the pledge was a 'condition for check-in'.
'In the end, I decided to sign it because I have nothing to hide,' the guest was quoted as telling Ynet News, which said the tourist had served as a combat medic in the navy reserves.
'The statement is true – I did not commit any war crimes, and Israeli soldiers do not commit war crimes. I signed because I didn't want to create problems, and because this form means nothing,' he was quoted as saying.
Following complaints from Cohen and the Israeli embassy, Kyoto tourism authorities visited the guest house several times to carry out an investigation, Kishi said.
'At least the authorities, both from the city and the Japanese government, don't think it's a violation of the Hotel Act,' Kishi said, referring to the Japanese law governing public accommodations.
'They are just expressing their concerns and trying to convince us to change our measures. But it's beyond their authority, so it's very indirect.'
Kishi said he has tweaked the wording of the pledge to state that it would not affect guests' eligibility to stay at WIND VILLA, to avoid further incidents.
He also clarified in a public letter to Cohen that the pledge requires 'all guests whom our guesthouse identifies as potentially having been involved in war crimes to sign the form,' including those from Burundi, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Mali, Myanmar, Palestine, Russia, Syria, and Sudan.
Booking.com has suspended WIND VILLA's account since the April incident, although the Israeli guest used rival site Expedia.com to book his stay, according to Kishi.WIND VILLA's other accounts on booking sites, including Expedia.com, continue to operate as normal, Kishi said.
The Kyoto government and Israel's embassy in Tokyo did not reply to Al Jazeera's requests for comment.
The Japan Times quoted a city official as saying WIND VILLA had not violated Japanese law, but the pledge was 'inappropriate'.
Booking.com told Al Jazeera that the company's mission 'is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world, and we do not tolerate discrimination of any kind'.
'We have temporarily suspended this property so that we can investigate the matter further,' the spokesperson said.
The WIND VILLA incident follows a similar occurrence in Kyoto last year, when a local hotel refused an Israeli man accommodation over his potential ties to Israel's actions in Gaza.
The Kyoto hotel in question received verbal and written warnings from the city that it had acted illegally, according to Japan's Kyodo News.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa told local media at the time that it was 'unacceptable' for any hotel to refuse accommodation because of a guest's nationality.
'We hope all visitors to Japan will be able to engage in various activities in Japan, feeling secure,' she told a news conference.